Salt Lake City, UT (December 20, 2022) — Certified B Corporation™ and impact-driven adventure lifestyle brand, Cotopaxi, is excited to welcome three new executives to the team: Kamal Thota, Vice President of Technology, Jason Hermann, Vice President of Corporate Sales, and most recently Charlie Mangini, Vice President of Operations. Cotopaxi has strategically added multiple members to their senior leadership team over the past six months in an effort to position the brand for its next stage of growth while maintaining the core values that define the brand.
Mangini, who began his tenure at the end of November, will oversee the distribution center and transportation divisions of the company, building infrastructure and pathways that will allow the business to meet aggressive and exciting goals in the coming years. Prior to taking a position with Cotopaxi, Mangini built a 30 year career managing logistics, fulfillment and operations for big brands such as JCPenney, Kohls and Marmaxx, the parent company of TJMaxx and Marshalls.
“I was drawn to both the mission of Cotopaxi and the huge potential the brand has in terms of growth — it’s truly a unique company,” says Mangini of why he made the move to Cotopaxi. “It’s also about how they treat their people: Cotopaxi has created a culture of respect and collaboration and I think that will be key in achieving continued success as we continue to build the brand.”
Cotopaxi’s Vice Presidents of Technology and Corporate Sales, Thota and Hermann, joined the team earlier in the year, also in a push to continue building out processes and frameworks to scale the business. As Vice President of Technology, Thota brings over 20 years of experience in leading digital, engineering, infrastructure, and IT/Security technology disciplines. He is also well-versed in leading digital transformations in commerce, healthcare, technology and hospitality industries and joins Cotopaxi from publicly traded LifeVantage where he served as SVP of digital. Marrying this hefty experience with his desire to have a social impact was a deciding factor in joining the brand.
“I understand the hyper growth of Cotopaxi, and I want to simultaneously make a difference through technology leadership and contribute to Cotopaxi’s social purpose,” explains Thota. “The social component is a game changer for me. Growing up in India, I saw firsthand impoverished communities. Cotopaxi’s “Do Good” social mission to alleviate extreme poverty certainly sealed the deal for me.”
Hermann, new Vice President of Corporate Sales, was also drawn to Cotopaxi’s desire to ‘Do Good.’ “Cotopaxi is really leading the way with a sustainability and social responsibility corporate mindset,” Hermann comments. “The brand mission aligns with both my ethos and the current consumer mindset, and I think this will be a critical factor as we take the leap into the next stage of our exponential growth story.”
Hermann, based in Portland, spent nearly 20 years working at Columbia Sportswear Company across multiple positions, developing the go-to-market process for the Corporate, Value and Club channels. He will work closely with the Corporate Channel team to foster relationships with like-minded brands on co-branded apparel and equipment.
These three new VPs are the final touches on a busy year of growth for the impact-driven brand, and signal its readiness to shift into large-scale business practices while maintaining the ability to live up to the high standards of social responsibility and employee satisfaction they set for themselves
About Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a twice certified carbon-neutral adventure lifestyle brand founded to create sustainably designed products that fight extreme poverty, inspire adventure, and move people to do good. As a certified B Corporation, we believe in using the power of business as a force for social, environmental, and economic good. Our creed, Gear for Good, touches every aspect of our company. Cotopaxi is committed to making all of our gear using repurposed, recycled, or responsible materials by 2025. We allocate a minimum of 1% of our annual revenue to the Cotopaxi Foundation which awards grants to outstanding nonprofit partners carefully selected for their track records at improving the human condition and alleviating poverty. In 2021, we aided over 1 million people in extreme poverty through targeted grants to outstanding organizations with proven methodologies. For more information please visit https://www.cotopaxi.com